Electric flatiron



14, 1947. P KIRCHER 2,414,309

ELECTRIC FLATIRON Filed Aug. 16, 1944 Flq. -l

PAUL. J KaRcHE .sole plate is a heating unit Patented Jan. 14, 1947 ELECTRIC FLATIRON Paul J. Kircher, Landers, Frary Plainville, Conn., assignor to & Clark, corporation of Connecticut New Britain, Conn., a

Application August 16, 1944, Serial No. 549,746

6 Claims.

This invention relates to thermostatically controlled electric flat irons and has particular reference to manually operable means for adjusting the thermostatically controlled switch so that the circuit will be made and broken at any desired temperature within a given range of operation.

The object of the invention is to provide improved arrangement for adjusting the temperature control which is characterized by its simplicity in construction and the ease and facility with which is may be operated.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction wherein the control knob arrangement being such that an undue amount of heat is not transmitted from the iron to the control knob.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement having a ontrol or adjusting knob which may be very conveniently adjusted in a straight line extending longitudinally of the iron.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein I have shown, for illustrative purposes, two embodiments which the present invention may take:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an iron with parts broken away and in which one embodiment of the present invention is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a detail view, in cross section, the same being taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the adjustable slide;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing another embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the control knob shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, I have illustrated a flat iron of a type which is now on the market. It is understood that this disclosure is by way of exemplification only and that the construction of the iron and the type of thermostatically controlled switch may be varied or changed without departing from .the scope of the present invention. As here shown, the iron has a sole plate I U, a shell .or cover I I, a sheet metal superdeck i2, and ahandle l3. Mounted on the I 4. [idesignatesthe til) thermostat which may be in the form of a bimetallic bar secured to the sole plate and located in a recess therein. The switch which the thermostat controls may have a fixed contact I6 and a movable contact H, the latter being carried by a lever or switch arm I8. This lever is pivoted between its ends, as at Hi, to a link 20 having an inverted U-shaped cross section. The forward end of the link is pivoted, as at 2!, to a fixed portion of the iron. The forward end of the switch arm I8 has a depending tongue 22 which is located in the path of movement of the free end of the thermostatic bar l5 so as to be engaged thereby when the iron is heated up. The tongue 22 of.the switch arm is adjusted with respect to the thermostat in accordance with the degree of temperature at wh ch it is desired to operate the iron by a screw 23 which is threaded into an opening provided with a fixed plate 2 3. The lower end of this screw has a projection which extends into an opening in the cross portion of the link 20. A spring 26 normally holds the link up against the lower end of the screw. The lower end of this spring is hooked to the switch lever l8 and its upper end is hooked over an ear provided on the end of a bracket 27. This bracket is secured to the fixed plate 24 and has a portion lying within an opening 28 in the central portion of the top wall of the shell II. The screw is axially adjusted through an adjustable member or stem 30 which is mounted for turning movement in the bracket 21 in axial alignment with the screw. This member has a fiat blade or shank 3! extending into a cross kerf in the upper end of the screw. The stem is provided on its upper end with a cylindrical head 32,v the periphery of which is serrated so as to provide a pluralitv of longitudinally extending spl nes or teeth. The numeral 33 designates a U-shaped yoke having a central opening provided with teeth adapted to mate with the splines on the head. Thus, the yoke maybe adjusted on the head, this being of advantage in that preliminary adjustment of the control device may be made before assembling the handle on the iron.

Referring now to the improvements of the present invention and, particularly, to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the handle 13, which is preferably made of plastic material, has an integral bridge disposed beneath the grip portion of the handle and extending from the front upright portion to the rear upright portion thereof. This bridge is slightly spaced above the top surface of the superdeck I 2. It has on its under side a longitudinally extend- The handle is of generally inverted U-shape and passes transversely over j the bridge. The downturned ends of the knob are secured to the extensions by screws 48. The body portion of the slide has, at its corners, down-turned pointed projections or prongs '49 adapted to engage the top surface of the superdeck. The area of engagement between these projections and the superdeck is relatively small so that no appreciable degree of heat will be transmitted to the slide from the superdeck. The slide is further provided with a laterally extending downwardly offset arm 59 which extends through an elongated slot 5| located in and extending longitudinally of the top wall of the superdeck. Pivoted to this arm, as by means of a pin 52, is a bar 53 which forms a connecting member between the slide and the yoke 33. This bar slidably extends through aligned openings 54 in the upwardly extending arms of the yoke.

It will be seen that, with the construction described, when the control knob is moved longitudinally of the bridge, the pivot 52 'for the sliding arm 53 will move therewith with the result that the sliding arm will rotatably adjust the yoke 33. As the yoke is secured to the stem Y30, and the stem is engaged with the screw 23, the latter will be axially adjusted thereby adjusting the relation between thermostatic bar I5. The control knob or handle i! is very conveniently positioned for adjustment in a straight line longitudinally of the iron. Adjustment may be made from either side of the handle. It will be further noted that the control knob is maintained relatively cool, the arrangement being such that no appreciable amount of heat is transmitted from the body portion of the iron to the slide or the control knob.

Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the construction of the iron may be similar to that previously described. In this embodiment, the bridge 59 of the handle is somewhat T-shape in construction. It has a central medial web 60 extending along the top of the superdeck. The bridge has, atits side margins, depending flanges or ribs GI, the inner surfaces 62 of which are preferably downwardly and outwardly inclined. The slide 43 is slidably mounted along one side of the bridge. In the present instance, this slide is shown as comprising a piece of plastic material, the same having an integral knob ll which has a pointer 63.

The slide has a longitudinally extending groove 64 along its inner side which receives the side edge of the bridge. The slide has, at its opposite ends, wings or projections 65 which extend laterally beneath the rib iii of the bridge.

Each of these wings has an upstanding lug 56 provided with an inclined face 61 adapted to engage the inner surface 62 of the rib Bl. Thus, the slide is hooked about one edge of the bridge. Directly pivoted to the slide intermediate its ends is a bar 53. The bar is pivoted to t Slide by the lug 22 and the the setting of the slide.

Cal

4 a screw 52. The bar to extend through the slot 5| in the superdeck l2. The bar 53', as in the preceding embodiment, extends through openings or slots 54 in the yoke 33. A leaf spring H1 is carried by the yoke and engages the under side of the superdeck for the purpose of holding the yoke down on the serrated head 32. The pointer 63 of the knob is adapted to cooperate with a temperature scale (not shown) provided on the top surface of the bridge for the purpose of indicating The operation of the device shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is generally similar to that of the arrangement shown in the preceding embodiment.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description orshown in the'accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, mightbe'said to. fall there-between.

I claim as my invention:

i. In an electric iron, a casing, a handle on the casing having a hand grip and a bridge beneath the hand grip-extending longitudinally along and above the center line of the casing, thermal responsive means within the casing, a switch actuated by said thermal responsive means, means for adjusting said switch relative to said thermal responsive means and comprising a vertically disposed screw, manually operable means for setting said adjusting means and including a slide guided by and movable longitudinally of said bridge and an operative connection between said slide and screw comprising 'a horizontally disposed bar pivoted to said slide and associated with i said screw for radial movement relative thereto on sliding movement of said slide.

2. In an electric iron, a casing, a handle on the casing having a hand grip, thermal responsive means within the casing, a switch actuated by said thermal responsive means, means for adlusting said switch relative to v said thermal responsive means and comprising a screw and a yoke connected to the screw, a track located above and extending longitudinally of the casing beneath the hand grip, and manually operable means for adjusting said screw and including a slide guided by said track, a knob carried by the slide and a bar pivoted to the slide and connected to the yoke for radial movement relative thereto.

3. In an electric iron, a casing, a handle on the casing having a hand grip and a bridge beneath the hand grip and extending longitudinally along and above the center line of the casing, thermal responsive means within the casing, a switch actuated by said thermal responsive means, means for adjusting said switch. relative to said thermal responsive means and comprising a screw and a yoke connected to the screw, and manually operable means for adjusting said screw and including a .slide. movable longitudinally of said bridge, a knob on the slide, and a bar pivoted to the slide and connected to the yoke for radial movement relative thereto. i

a. In an electric iron, a casing, a handle on the casing having a hand grip, thermal responsive is offset, as at 68, so as means within the casing, a switch actuated by said thermal responsive means, means for adjusting said switch relative to said thermal responsive means and comprising a member mounted for angular adjustment about a vertical axis, a track located above and extending longitudinally of the casing beneath the hand grip and connected to said member and having a channel on its under side, a slide mounted in said channel for movement longitudinally thereof, a non-rotatable knob straddling said track and connected to said slide, and an operative connection between the slide and said adjusting means.

5. In an electric iron, a casing, a handle on the casing having a hand grip and a bridge beneath the hand grip extending longitudinally along and line of the casing, said bridge having a channel on its under side, thermal responsive means Within the casing, a switch actuated by said thermal responsive means, means including a member mounted for angular adjustment about a vertical axis for adjusting said switch relative to said thermal responsive means,

PAUL J. KIRCHER. 

